, 1887-05-21
A DENTAL COLLEGE.
HALF PLEDGED DENTISTS PRAcTlc-
ING ON THEIR PATIENTS.

operating OF IlnteB
and Teeth-Ths Museum - students
from Everywhere
The exterior of the building is so harm
less and inofTensive in appearance that few
persons would suspect that behind those
walls are concealed something like $50
human beings, the majority of them young
men, engaged IN mastering the technicali-
ties connected with the preservation and
extraction of molnrs, bicuspids, ~incisors,
CANNES and all the other things in the
mouth to which the scientists nave given
such terrible names, and which, on occas-
sion, ache so like the late Samuel Hill. Is
it not n dreadful thoughtS Two hundred
and fifty men about to be turned loose
upon the inhabitants of this city, to estab-
lish 250 dental rooms, to smile blnndly
upon 250 patients who come tlmidly in,
holding on to their jaws; to pop them into
go chairs and say open your mouth-a
little wider, please;'' then silence for a
moment; then 250 shrieks to rend the air,
followed presently by an equal number of
long drawn "ahsl' expressive of immeas-
:urable relief. 1t almost takes away ones
breath to think of 1t.
Observing several persons entering with
that uncertain gait and troubled express
sion Of countenance which mark the dem
lists prey, a reporter, backed up by an
intrepid artist, ventured into this place the
other day TO see what was TO be seen.
Armed with an accident policy for one
day, and with note books and pencils care
fully concealed, they assembled a flight of
stairs and entered u long, narrow room
containing about q dozen chairs OF q kind
but too familiar to need description. They
were occupied by twelve u~nfortunates,
mostly females, In various stages of I'M
happiness. There wasn't cheerfulness
enough diffused over all their counte-
nances put together to make up one single
sickly defeated candidate the day-after-
election smile. But there was enough
cheerfulness on the faces of the operators,
as well as on those of the other students
who were visible, to rather more than over
balance the gloom that otherwise charac-
terized the proceedings.
By rare good fortune the artist recog-
nized a friend in O six foot student, who
was watching a young man run q buz
saw between the teeth of a neatly dressed
and rather attractive young lady. He
consented TO act the part of cicerone, and
under his guidance and protection the
twain made the tour Of the premises, be-
ginning with the extracting room. That
is, they began with 1t after q while, but
not quite Immediately, for on trying the
NOSA - $1,000 ~ IL hAlu
hollow groans and mufied cries from be-
yond conveyed but too plainly to the
listeners the fact that some student was
adding to his information as to the ratio
between his dexter arm n some decayed
promaxillary grinder. When the student
had concluded his operations the door was
opened. About a dozen students were
gathered around the operating chair, and
O young woman in a state of collapse was
IaFnrETnr TIn .t,,[ ~, $1,000 a. l.
having q little discussion as to whose turn
1t was to have the next crack" and
waved various dreadful looking instru-
ments of torture about them in an alarm
ingly careless manne
Leaving this ensanguined field, the ex-
ploring party yentured next into the third
story. Here was another large room,
with more chairs and more unfortunates.
All the chairs were full and the students
were working away for dear life. The
professors look at the patients teeth be
fore the student begins to operate and
after he has completed his work. II it is
satisfactory, he receives a mark In accord
ance with the excellence OF his work. II
IL is not good, he has to take 1t out and do
1t over again. This, the reporter was in
formed, did not very often happen, but
when 1t did it was apt to engender i'll feel
ing between the operator and operatee.
Adjoining this was a large room devoted
to the manufacture OF plates and sets OF
teeth. In one corner Of the room was a
furnace about as hot as a crematory ir
full blast. The student led the unhappy
visitors directly to this and planted them
within six inches of it while he gave them
all the details he could think Of concern
ing the institution.
The professor afterward took the visit
ors In charge and showed them the mu-
seum, containing among other things
casts of the heads OF persons upon whom
remarkable dental and surgical opera
tons had been performed by the faculty
of this institute. There was the case, for
instance, Of a young man whom they
called Tommy" who, through some
cancerous affection, had lost his entire
nose and all his teeth. As shown by the
cast, he must nave been a h.lcous object
to gaze upon. The middle finger of his
left nrm was bound down upon his face,
the skin opened and left there until 1t
should unite. When union had taken
place, the finger was cut off at the first
Joint, and the man had a very tolerable
looking nose at the expense of q finger.
The professor was Intercepted as to
the nationality OF the students. He re-
piled that they came from oil parts of the
world, and ranged in age from II to ca.
There was among them even one man
from Greece. He was a middle aged,
quiet looking Individual, and, the pro-
fessor said, was very conscientious and
careful in his work. The operating is
carried on daily from 8 to 10. Every
afternoon there are lectures from 2:30
until 8 o'clock. The course takes two
years, and about three out of four, on an
average, escape being ''plucked'' and sent
back for another year. Each student
works three days filling teeth, two days
making plates and n day at extracting.
This, with the lectures N subsequent
copying of his notes and reading text
books, fills out his week very thoroughly.
The course embraces, besides instruction
in dentistry, a complete course of anatomy
and the science of medicine. Except in
the single branch of surgery, the course
embraces everything hat is taught In the
College of Physicians and Surgeons. One
would naturally suppose that the insti-